


kiss me through the phone

by yixingisaunicorn



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, How Do I Tag, I don't want to spoil the story in the tags so, I promise, M/M, No Beta, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Temporarily Unrequited Love, This slowly but unknowingly also turned into a Coffee Shop Au, We Die Like Men, Wrong Number AU, but it all works out in the end, other idols are mentioned too, we are all suckers for that trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-03 19:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16331891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yixingisaunicorn/pseuds/yixingisaunicorn
Summary: Who would have thought that Taekwoon's baby nephew would go on to become probably one of the best wingman's in the whole of Seoul? Certainly not Taekwoon.(otherwise known as that wrong number au fic we all love to read. And yes, the title is inspired by that Soulja Boy song so sue me for being uncreative.)





	kiss me through the phone

**Author's Note:**

> After almost a year of procrastinating and lazy self-editing, I have finally deemed this fic worthy enough to post. 
> 
> If any of you have been following my other fic 'The Whispers of Fate' you'll notice that I have LITERALLY been saying for a while now that I was going to post this. What was originally going to be only a one-shot soon turned into this two-part fic?????? I'm honestly still not sure how long it is gonna be bc I haven't even finished part two lmao 
> 
> I went through months of writer's block and just haven't been as inspired as I was when I first began writing this fic and TWoF... I'm honestly hoping that by publishing the first part, for now, I'll get my shit together (please pray for me)
> 
> Anyway, happy readings!

“Really, another picture? If you keep posting, everyone’s going to think _you're_ the Jung sibling with a kid,” an amused voice called out from behind him.

Taekwoon only rolled his eyes, his attention solely on his adorable nephew, who was trying to finish the last of the spaghetti on his plate. It seemed the toddler was having trouble maintaining a solid grip on his baby-proofed fork. It was an adorable sight, one that Taekwoon's Instagram followers would be sure to appreciate.

Taekwoon couldn't help the bright grin that spread across his face as his nephew finally managed to twirl a few noodles around the fork and bring it up to his mouth, stray pieces of spaghetti smearing tomato sauce all over his face. He snapped a few pictures and finally brought the phone down with a big smile.

“Wah, Minyul-ah. The food your mama made is very tasty, no? Does it taste good?” He cooed, grabbing a napkin from the center of the table and reaching over to wipe the mess on Minyul’s face.

Or he tried to, at least.

Minyul cringed away from his uncle and let out an annoyed whine, scrambling to get away from the napkin. “No!” he cried, hitting the hand away. Taekwoon leaned back and sighed exasperatedly, looking at his nephew with fake annoyance. The toddler glared at him before going back to eating, scooting closer to the plates in front of him.

“Such stubbornness. I wonder who he reminds me of,” his sister sang teasingly. Taekwoon huffed and turn around to glare at her.

“That’s rich, coming from the girl who doesn’t know when to admit she's in the wrong,” he retorted. His sister narrowed her eyes, gaze zeroing down on him from his position on the floor.

“If this is about that one time we played monopoly, I told you to drop it. I rolled a double in my last turn to get out of jail; therefore I didn’t have to pay the fine. Easy.”

Taekwoon scoffed. “You cheated so of course, it was easy.”

“Hey, are you accusing me of being a liar?” she cried out, eyes sparkling with amusement. It was common for the two of them to get into regular “arguments” and tease one another endlessly. They were siblings, after all.

Unaware to the bickering adults, Minyul had gotten bored with playing with his fork and had started glancing around for some other form of entertainment.

Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for his uncle, Taekwoon’s phone caught the toddler attention. Forehead furrowing in concentration Minyul reached out and stretched his tiny arm the farthest he can until his fingertips manage to graze the side of the phone. Confident, he gripped the device tightly with his chubby hands and brought it up to him, the screen brightly illuminating his face.

“-I can’t believe you’re still being petty about that. See if I ever play with your stupid ass again,” the older girl huffed, crossing her arms.

Taekwoon only scowled in return, muttering a series of curses under his breath as he unraveled his legs and stood up. A weak groan escaped his lips as he stretched his back, the sitting position on the ground having stiffened his muscles. His sister watched on with an unamused expression.

“Aigoo, look at you. Barely at the ripe age of 27 and already dealing with bad joints,” She chided. “I honestly don’t know why Wonshik keeps you around; you’re practically an old man.”

With a final satisfying crack, Taekwoon groaned before facing his sister with a glare. “My joints wouldn’t pop so much if your cushions weren’t so shitty. And how many times do I have to tell you that Wonshik and I aren’t dating, stop corrupting my friendship with your weird fantasies.”

His sister pouted. “Can’t a girl dream? It’s amazing how he manages to put up with you on a daily basis, and let’s not forget that mom has always liked how charming he is. He’s practically family, just marry him and make it official!”

Taekwoon wrinkled his nose in disgust. “First off, I’ll admit he is family, but he's my brother," he emphasized loudly, causing his sister to grumble. “Secondly, Wonshik is straight. There’s not a gay bone in that body.”

“That's what they all say,” she retorted before smirking. “And that whole bone thing can totally be arranged if you –”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll kill you.” He threatened. His sister only laughed before wisely changing the subject. “So what, are you leaving soon then? It’s almost eight.”

Taekwoon looked outside of the large window panel and sighed as he gazed at the bright twinkles of light illuminating the city of Seoul. Time always seemed to pass by fast whenever he visited his sister’s home.

And speaking of home...

“Yeah, I have a long day tomorrow at work. Besides, I also promised Wonshik I’d stop by his favorite chicken place and buy dinner. He probably hasn’t eaten since this morning, knowing him.” he said, frowning at thought of having to scold Wonshik about skipping meals once more.

Wonshik had been locking himself in his room for the past few days now, working on new music projects. Although he was happy that his friend had finally managed to leave the stump he’d been stuck in for months he couldn’t help but be worried, as Wonshik tended to over-work himself. As a result, Taekwoon was left with no choice but to nag at his roommate and force him to leave his room every once in while in order to shower and eat like a decent human being. Locking himself inside that dark and grimly room was doing him no favors.

His sister hummed in response, noting the concerned look on her brother’s eyes. She was about to open his lips to speak but a sudden loud ping echoed in the room, interrupting her. Confused, the two siblings look around before gazing down at the table where, to their horror, they found Minyul gripping and tapping down onto a phone. Taekwoon’s phone, to be precise.

“Minyul, no!” Taekwoon yelled after a second of shock, yanking the phone away from the toddler’s hands.

Instantly, his nephew began crying as his new toy was taken away from him. His sister is quick to reach down and pick her son up, shushing him and rubbing his back in an effort to comfort him.

“Oh god…” Taekwoon breathed out, fingers scrambling to check if his nephew had done anything irreparable to his phone. He double-clicked his home screen and scrolled through the recently visited apps, trying to see what the toddler had managed to access. Dread filled his stomach as he opened up his messages and spotted a text filled with complete gibberish that had been sent to an unknown number. The feeling intensified as he read the series of question marks the other number had responded with.

Oh god, that must have been why his phone had gone off. Somehow, it seemed his nephew had managed to type in nonsense and send a text to a working phone. What were the actual odds of something like this happening in real life? What were the odds of this happening to him?

Taekwoon wanted to die.

“Is your phone okay? Did he do something to it? I am _so_ sorry Woonie; I should have been paying more attention –” His sister’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

“What- no, no it’s fine. He just texted this random number but everything seems to be okay.” He quickly reassured her, causing her to let out a relieved sigh.

In the meantime, it seemed as if Minyul had finally managed to calm down, the comfort of his mother’s arms soothing him into a relaxed state. Although his face was all red and blotchy from his tantrum, he still managed to look adorable. Taekwoon smiled before leaning down to kiss Minyul's head.

“Anyway, I should get going before it gets too late and Minyul decides to text someone else.” He chuckled lightly, rubbing his hands down his thighs, a habit he tended to do when feeling anxious.

Having lived the majority of their lives together, his sister is quick to notice his fidgeting and grimaced before sending him an apologetic smile. “I really am sorry,” she apologized again. “Guess that’s what we get for fighting over Monopoly huh,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Taekwoon couldn't help but laugh, head shaking in disbelief. “Yeah, Only us, huh?” His sister shrugged before grinning.

Shortly after, he bid both of them goodnight, promised to stop by sooner the next time and began his journey home.

 

[x]

 

“Wonshik, I’m home!” Taekwoon called out as soon as he closed the door behind him. Unsurprised, he was met with nothing but silence. He sighed before taking his shoes off and heading towards their living room, where he placed the two bags of takeout down onto their small coffee table. He then wasted no time heading to Wonshik's room, where he was met with a closed door. 

Sighing yet again, Taekwoon shook his head before throwing the door open and stepping inside the dark room. After adjusting his eyesight, he quickly spotted Wonshik in his desk at the corner of the room with his large headphones plugged into the monitor, the music so loud that Taekwoon could hear it all the way from the doorway. Back tense, Wonshik was intensely staring at the screen, seemingly arranging audio tracks around.

Just looking at how close the other’s face is to the bright monitor made Taekwoon wince.

 _He’s going to fuck up his eyesight if he continues on like that_ , he observed quietly before walking right up behind Wonshik and shaking him by the shoulder.

“Wonshik. Dinner's ready-”

The effect was immediate. Wonshik recoiled from his touch and let out a high-pitched scream as he tried to scramble away from the intruder. Thankfully, he is smart enough to take the headphones off this time (which was great because the last thing Taekwoon needed was Wonshik pulling and breaking the expensive equipment _again)_ before whipping his head around to try and catch a glimpse of the intruder.

“Oh my god, please, please, don’t kill me! You can have all my money! I swear I’ll give you everything- hyung, is that you?” Wonshik asked incredulously. He rubbed at his eyes and squinted, willing for his vision to improve in the dark as he tried to make out Taekwoon’s features.

Once he found Taekwoon’s unamused face staring back at him, Wonshik let out a huge breath of relief and sagged back against his rolling chair, placing a hand over his rapidly beating chest. “Holy shit. Hyung, I thought I was going to die!”

Taekwoon continued staring down Wonshik, unimpressed. “I’m getting tired of this routine, Wonshik.“

Once Wonshik regained control of his breathing, he scoffed and glared up at his roommate. “It’s not my fault I’m too focused on getting my shit done.” Sensing Taekwoon was about to argue that yes, it most definitely _was_ his own fault, Wonshik scrambled to raise his hands in compliance.

“Okay, okay, I get it! I guess it's kind of my fault I don't pay attention,” he grumbled, sliding down lower on his chair.

Taekwoon raised an eyebrow, staring Wonshik down before accepting the other's defeat. He sighed. “Alright. Well, I brought your favorite chicken wings so we should probably eat it before it gets cold," he said, patting Wonshik's shoulders.

At hearing the word chicken, Wonshik sat up straight and gazed at his hyung with an expression that could only be described as star-struck.“Hyung! You didn’t have to–"

“Let’s leave the love declarations for another day, Wonshik. Just save your work and come to eat,” Taekwoon said, making his way out of the room. Just before he was about to leave though, Wonshik called him back.

“Hey, hyung?”

Taekwoon paused and looked back. Wonshik was facing the computer halfway, face lowered as if shy. “Thank you. I really appreciate all you do for me, even though you don’t really have to,” he said quietly.

Taekwoon blinked, confused as to where this sudden wave of gratitude was coming from but made sure to give Wonshik a small smile. “I’m your hyung, there’s nothing to thank me for.” Wonshik looked at him softly for a couple of seconds before nodding, grinning and sending him an air kiss. Taekwoon scoffed before walking out.

 

[x]

 

“Oh yeah, you visited your sister today, right? How she been?” Wonshik asked him after they had finished eating and cleaned up the mess. They were currently just lying on their creaky couch, stomachs full and sated.

Taekwoon looked away from the mundane television show he had been staring at for the last fifteen minutes and focused on Wonshik. "She’s been good,” he said before smiling. “Minyul ate spaghetti and made a mess, as usual. I even got pictures.”

Wonshik laughed. “Ah, cute little Minyul. Next time you visit them I’ll go with you, I haven’t seen them in a while.”

Taekwoon groaned. “Yeah, I’m sure she’ll like that.” Wonshik nudged him with his foot from the other side of the couch and shot him an amused, questioning look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“She just has this weird fantasy of us being together and wants you to marry me so that you can officially ‘join the family’,” Taekwoon said nonchalantly, attention returning to the TV show.

He expected Wonshik to laugh or make some sort of smart-ass comment but the other just hummed contemplatively in response. The pair fell quiet, the laughter and sound effects coming from the TV the only noise echoing throughout their apartment. As the minutes tick on by, Taekwoon found himself thinking back on the day’s events.

He was glad he had finally managed to go visit his sister and nephew, who he hadn’t seen in almost a month. He has been very busy as of late, staying past his usual work hours to coordinate the upcoming musical his vocal studio was putting on five weeks from now. Between helping plan the event and coaching his students, Taekwoon barely had any time to breathe, let alone enjoy some free time.

Jaehwan, the other vocal coach at work and Taekwoon’s annoying dongsaeng, had noticed how tired his hyung had been looking as of late and had demanded that the other take a break.

“Just looking at you makes my skin scream in horror hyung,” Jaehwan had teased.

“Just looking at you makes me want to scream,” Taekwoon had muttered in response. Jaehwan pouted before continuing, genuine concern apparent in his eyes.

“In all seriousness though, take two days off and catch up on sleep. Go visit your aunt, get laid," Jaehwan had smirked slyly before continuing. "I’m more than capable of looking after the kids while you’re away. This is my job too, y'know,”

Despite how infuriating he could be, Taekwoon had grudgingly admitted that Jaehwan was probably right. Taking some days off would do him well and allow him to de-stress. It would also be helpful to review the musical a few days after his mind had had some rest, allowing him to observe things he probably wouldn't notice before with so many things piled up on his brain.

The more he thought about it, the more Taekwoon found himself agreeing to the idea of sleeping in late and drinking his morning coffee with no urgent matters pressing. And so, having made up his mind a few hours later, Taekwoon notified his students that day that Jaehwan would be taking over his lessons for the next two days being and that he would be back soon enough to help them with their singing.

Flash forward to today, and Taekwoon was glad he had listed to Jaehwan. From getting to wake up late in the morning without the loud shrill of his alarms, to finally managing to visit his family and spend quality time with them, it had been a really good short break. A very much needed break.

Wonshik’s phone pinged loudly, indicating he had received a text, and Taekwoon was drawn away from his thoughts.

“Who is it?” He asked idly.

“Ah, it's just Hyunsik. He wants to hang out but I’m too tired so I’ll probably say no.” 

Taekwoon hummed in agreement.

With nothing else to do, having completely lost interest with the program on TV, Taekwoon decided to observe Wonshik. The man looked tired, the dark bruises under his eyes telling him how little sleep Wonshik was getting these days. He looked as if he was minutes away from crashing. Taekwoon hoped the younger would listen to him and try to go bed early.

It wasn't until Wonshik started fiddling with his phone that something in the back of Taekwoon's mind went off, alarms ringing. A sense of panic and dread consumed him once he realized what was happening.

“Oh shit,” he cursed, sitting up slowly. Wonshik looked up from his phone, caught off guard by Taekwoon's change of behavior.

“What?” he asked uneasily. Taekwoon ignored him, not having heard him as his brain began to panic. He cursed loudly again, his fingers gripping and pulling his hair.

The text message! The unknown number Minyul had managed to message, the number who had actually responded back! Oh god, there was a living breathing human being behind that phone who was probably creeped out by Taekwoon by now.

Groaning, he slammed himself back down to the couch and covered his face with his hands. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

He felt a finger prod his arm. “Uh, hyung? You okay?” Wonshik asked concerned.

Taekwoon whined, shaking his head. He felt the cushion dip next to him and wasn't surprised when Wonshik continued poking him.

Just like a puppy asking for attention, he thought amusedly. The prodding started off gently but in true Wonshik style, it soon turned into sharp jabs at his upper arm, the long, crooked fingers digging down at his delicate skin. Finally having had enough, Taekwoon hit off Wonshik’s hand in annoyance.

“That _hurts_!” he whined.

“ _I know_ ,” Wonshik sang amusedly. He had a big grin on his face. Taekwoon huffed and pouted, before sitting up.

“So, now that I have accomplished my goal of gaining your attention, you want to tell your favorite dongsaeng what’s wrong?”

Taekwoon admittedly felt better after Wonshik's distraction, but he wasn't planning on admitting that to the other anytime soon. The last thing Wonshik needed was a reason to feel smug.

“You’re the so-called ‘favorite’ only because Jaehwan is an annoying piece of shit,” Taekwoon grumbled under his breath, fiddling with his rings.

Wonshik shrugged and grinned. “Eh, still the favorite."

Taekwoon groaned and leaned against the other’s shoulder. “It’s nothing, really. I just remembered that Minyul texted this random number and the person actually messaged back. I completely forgot about it until I saw you texting right now.”

Wonshik was quiet before bursting out in laughter. “You freaked out because of that?”

Taekwoon hit his shoulder, annoyed.“It’s not funny!”

“It really kind of is,” Wonshik grinned.

Taekwoon pushed himself off the couch with the help of Wonshik’s shoulder, making sure to dig his hand harshly on his way up. Wonshik yelped in pain and clutched at his shoulder, sending him a betrayed look.

“Just for that comment, Jaehwan is my new favorite,” Taekwoon said.

“Oh please, I bet you would rather willingly do aegyo in front of a crowd of strangers than have Jaehwan know he's the favorite. You really think you could put up with that loud personality of his 24/7?"

Taekwoon grimaced, a memory of Jaehwan's shrilling voice coming to mind that one time the three of them had decided to play Snakes and Ladders. Needless to say, the game was now banned during game nights. "Okay, you're right," he admitted. "Either way it seems like a position for 'Taekwoon's favorite dongsaeng' has opened. Tell Minhyuk and the others that all applicants are welcome."

Wonshik rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. Calm down, you drama queen."

Deciding he didn't have to tolerate these insults, Taekwoon grabbed his forgotten coffee mug and made his way to his room. "Keep making those smart-ass comments and your re-submission will end up rejected," he called out behind him.

Wonshik's laugh followed him out. Unaware to Taekwoon, Wonshik smiled fondly at his retreating back, eyes sparkling with an unreadable emotion.

 

[x]

 

After having finished his nightly routine consisting of a quick shower and his usual skincare, Taekwoon was ready to sleep. Before that though, he decided to quickly catch up with what he had missed today on social media. It was while on Instagram, scrolling through the comments of his new post (yes, a photo of Minyul with spaghetti smeared everywhere, sue him) that Taekwoon once again remembered the unknown number.

He paused for a second before clicking out of the app and opening up his messages.

 

**UNKNOWN**

 

_gdehjrfn bftksjdfhr hefru6748_

_85fbrnceih9_

_??????????_

 

Just looking at the message again made Taekwoon want to chuck his phone across the room and never touch it ever again. In a perfect world, Taekwoon would delete the whole exchange from his mind and forget about it until his final moments of life. Unfortunately for him though, his mother had (A), raised him with good manners and (B), showed him too many educational cartoons as a child that told him to spread kindness, be nice, and all that other bullshit.

Also knowing himself, it was most likely that Taekwoon would feel indefinitely guilty for the rest of his life if he didn't reassure the poor stranger on the other side that he was neither a robot or a stalker out to get him. He knew he would appreciate it if he was in the other's shoes, but maybe that was just his paranoia talking. 

And so, with that thought in mind, Taekwoon bit his lip nervously before making up his mind. He began typing.

 

_Hello, sorry about that text earlier_

_idk how but my nephew grabbed my phone and did that_

_but yeah, just wanted to reassure you that I'm not a weirdo_

_or a robot_

_sorry._

 

Satisfied, he placed his phone on the nightstand next to him and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp, plunging the room in darkness. He settled down and turned on his side, bringing his soft comforter up to his chin. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fabric softener and relaxed as the scent invaded his nose.

 _I hope I wasn't blocked for being a creep_ , was the last thing Taekwoon thought before closing his eyes and losing himself to a dreamless sleep.

 

[x]

 

The next morning, Taekwoon woke up to the sound of his alarm ringing. Yawning, he sat up and dragged a tired hand through his bleary eyes while the other one tried to silence the annoying sound. He finally managed to hit the snooze button and an instant quiet enveloped the room. Licking his dry lips to life, Taekwoon remained sitting up as he gave his mind a few minutes to wake up and drag itself into a semi-state of function.

He yawned once more and scratched his hair, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. Once feeling that he was capable of dragging himself from the bed and into the kitchen without trouble, Taekwoon stood up. He made sure to grab his phone from the nightstand on his way out of the bedroom and into the bright living area.

"Ah, fuck," Taekwoon cursed through squinting eyes, hands coming up to shield his face from the glaring morning sunlight. He quickly turned his face away and turned left into the small kitchen, purposely omitting the fluorescent lights above.

 _Ah, so this is how Wonshik feels every time I pull open the curtains_ , he mused, as he turned on the coffee machine.

Not even a few minutes later Wonshik stumbled into the kitchen, drawn in by the smell of coffee. A smile threatened to break out as he took in the other's ruffled hair and sleep-swollen face.

"Morning," Taekwoon greeted. Wonshik looked at him bleary-eyed for a moment before grunting in acknowledgment.

It was only after both of them were leaning against the kitchen counter, a mug of fresh coffee in hand, that Wonshik was finally able to form words. "I stayed up late working on that track you and Jaehwan recorded vocals for," he began, taking a wild guess in assuming that Taekwoon was going to question him about his sleep schedule. His assumption was correct.

Taekwoon hummed, taking a sip of his coffee. "Are you almost finished arranging it? We recorded the track almost like two weeks ago, no?"

Wonshik sighed, dark bags under his eyes prominent. "Yeah, it's coming along well, I guess." At seeing Taekwoon's expression Wonshik quickly clarified himself. "Not that there's anything wrong with your vocals or Jaehwan's! It's just...it sounds good so far but I'm not really satisfied with it yet, y'know? I know I can do better, that it can sound better. I just don't know what's missing," Wonshik said with a tired frown.

"Hm," Taekwoon hummed. "Well, you usually tend to be right about these sort of feelings so just keep working on it. Just don't be so hard on yourself if everything is not resolved immediately, I know how you can get." Taekwoon gave him a pointed look.

Wonshik chuckled, fiddling with the rim of his mug in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah."

Taekwoon rolled his eyes before placing his cup down on the counter next to him and opening the counter behind his legs to retrieve a pan. "So, how does a french toast for breakfast sound?" he asked, looking up at Wonshik from his kneeling position on the floor.

"Amazing, I can already taste the delicious syrup on my lips," Wonshik said with a grin. Taekwoon huffed out a laugh before getting to work. "Alright, pass me my phone so I can look up an American recipe," Taekwoon said, gesturing vaguely behind Wonshik as he took another sip of his coffee. Wonshik hummed in agreement and was about to pass Taekwoon his phone but stopped. Taekwoon waited a couple of seconds for the familiar weight to drop on to his open palm but nothing happened, he looked back confused.

 Wonshik was frowning down at his phone, the lock screen on.

"What's wrong?" Taekwoon asked, flickering his gaze between Wonshik and his phone.

Wonshik snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. "Oh, nothing. You just have a text from an unknown number," he said with a faint frown still in place.

Taekwoon, on the other hand, raised both of his eyebrows in surprise before reaching over to grab the phone from Wonshik's fingers. He quickly unlocked the screen and tapped on the message.

 

**UNKNOWN**

 

_Hm, that sounds suspiciously like something a weirdo would say._

 

Taekwoon couldn't help the amused huff that escaped him as he read the text, despite the confusion he felt growing at the back of his mind. It seemed the person had received his text last night and hadn't actually blocked the number after the gibberish they'd received. Interestingly enough, they decided to respond and continue the conversation which okay... that was weird.

Taekwoon honestly had not expected to get a response back. Maybe a dismissing thanks at best, but certainly not something like _this_.

Needless to say, Taekwoon was intrigued. He quickly typed out a message and hit send before he could regret it.

 

_If I was a weirdo then why would I take the time to apologize???_

 

"So, who is it?"

Startled, Taekwoon looked at Wonshik, who was currently doing a bad job of trying to peek at the screen.

"Oh. It's that random number I told you about yesterday. I texted them last night to apologize and I guess they responded."

Wonshik raised an eyebrow, giving him an incredulous look."Apologized? Do you not remember that whole 'stranger danger' speech they gave us back in elementary or have you officially gone insane? Detective JJ Binder would be so disappointed in you." Wonshik clicked his tongue to further emphasize his point.

Taekwoon scoffed and rolled his eyes. He was about to defend himself when his phone went off, interrupting their conversation. He had a new received a message.

_okay, so you're a cute weirdo who likes to apologize then_

 

 

Taekwoon felt his cheeks grow warm, unsure if it was born out of annoyance or confusion. It didn't prevent him from sputtering, flustered beyond belief at the... did this even count as a compliment? 

Curse his compliment weakness. 

 

_... how do you know I'm cute??_

_and do you make it a habit to flirt with strangers?_

 

_you keep responding in questions, have you noticed that?_

_but to answer you, no. I usually don't._

_guess you could say I just had a feeling ;)_

 

Taekwoon sputtered once more. He honestly didn't know whether to be annoyed or flustered with this guy, and it just _had_ to be a guy with the way they were constantly flirting. Only men could be this annoying through text.

 

_You're annoying._

 

 _Yeah, but_ _I'm YOUR annoying_

_..._

 

 _Okay, that made more sense in my head but you know what I_   _mean_

_No, I don't_

_please enlighten me_

 

 

_Wow, u know what_

_I take it back_

_you must a robot_

_Haven't you heard of sarcasm_

_idiot_

_yeah, but I'm YOUR idiot_

_..._

_:D_

_you're useless._

 

 

Taekwoon shook his head in amusement, a surprisingly genuine smile on his face. Aware that he had probably wasted too much time texting and not cooking breakfast, he put his phone away and turned his attention back on Wonshik, who had unknowingly been observing him quietly this whole time. When their eyes locked Wonshik raised an inquiring eyebrow, an unreadable emotion in his eye.

Taekwoon shrugged, unsure of what to say.

"The guy's an idiot," Taekwoon decided to say with a shrug. His phone buzzed in his pocket, signaling another text.

Wonshik continued looking at him strangely, to the point where the air around them began feeling a bit tense and awkward.

"Uh... you still want that french toast?" Taekwoon asked, unsure of what was causing his roommate to act weird. Wonshik stayed quiet for a few more seconds before he schooled his face and smiled brightly at him. "Of course, hyung. You know I can never turn down your cooking."

Taekwoon gave him a small smile before nodding. As he gathered the necessary breakfast supplies, he made sure to file this away and ask Wonshik what that had been about. Something in his mind told him it was important.

 

[x]

 

"Welcome back hyung!" Jaehwan's shrill voice greeted him the second Taekwoon stepped inside their studio. Taekwoon's brow twitched with annoyance at the pitch, already feeling the tellings of a developing headache.

How Wonshik found Jaehwan's shrieking "cute" will forever baffle him. 

"Hello, Jaehwan." Taekwoon droned out as he made his way to the back office, where he was greeted with the sight of his dongsaeng sitting at his desk. Taekwoon didn't bother to ask how Jaehwan had known it had been him that had opened the door. The other had a freaky intuition of just knowing things, and over the years Taekwoon had learned to not say anything and just let it go.

"I missed you so much! It was so boring just being here all alone with no one to talk to," the younger man whined, swirling in his own chair.

"Don't you mean bother?" Taekwoon retorted as he slipped off the messenger bag from his shoulder, followed by his coat. He looked at Jaehwan with a pointed look and found the other pouting at him.

"You've been here less than a minute and you're already teasing me," Jaehwan complained, crossing his arms defensively. Taekwoon chuckled before sitting and propping his feet on his desk.

"What can I say, I guess I missed messing with you too."

Jaehwan squinted his eyes at him, observing Taekwoon quietly. After a brief pause, he smiled. "Is it correct to assume that the past two days treated you well?"

Taekwoon leaned back in his chair and groaned. "You have no idea."

"I told you," Jaehwan sang teasingly before continuing. "I'm glad though, you look way better now. Not like you're being eaten alive by exhaustion and stress. I'm pretty sure even the students were starting to get worried."

Taekwoon blushed, embarrassed yet touched. "Yeah, I guess." He mumbled, fiddling with his warm ears. "Anyway," he coughed, trying to will his blush away. "It seems the break was good for more than just making me look less like a sleep-deprived teacher. I finally figured out what to do with Soo young's and Jiwoo's duet."

Jaehwan sat up, alert.

"Oh, do tell."

"Wait, before that though, did you practice and help Minjae's with her ad-libs? I know she was having some trouble last time."

And so that's how the two friends passed the rest of the morning, going over the best ways to improve the musical while also catching Taekwoon up on all the progress and setbacks he had missed during his absence (this consisted of the students who were involved with the production and of those who only had private lessons with them).

Shortly after that, they both barely had time to order some take out and eat an early lunch before their classes for the day started showing up for practice.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Taekwoon found himself with some free time and was able to recall that he never saw what the stranger had texted in response to him calling him annoying. He stopped humming and took out his phone, opening his unread inbox. To his surprise, he saw four unread messages.

 

**UNKNOWN**

 

_ㅠ.ㅠ_

 

Taekwoon couldn't help the small lift of his lips as he saw the emoticon. He continued reading.

 

_Hey, I didn't mean to bother or offend you. I'm sorry._

_I'll just stop bothering you now, but thank you for letting me know you weren't a robot. I appreciate it._

_Sorry once again._

The raven-haired man frowned down at his screen as he finished reading. He scrolled up and saw that the time difference between the last three texts and the first one was off by a few hours.

 _He must have thought I was purposely ignoring him_ , Taekwoon realized slowly. _He thinks I'm mad._

The thought brought a wave of uneasiness, of guilt.

Wasting no time, his fingers flew across the keyboard as he rushed to clear the misunderstanding. He ignored the rational voice in his head reminding him that there was nothing to feel guilty about.  _Hello, this is a person you've never met! Why are you feeling like you stood up someone? Better yet, why do you even_ care about this guy _?_

Taekwoon gulped, fingers shaking as he tried to come up with a logical explanation.

Maybe it was the person's humor, the playful personality that managed to seep through the texts despite having only exchanged them a handful of times. Or maybe it was the way they managed to make Taekwoon feel comfortable, enough to a point that he genuinely smiled and forgot his self-consciousness (something that even Jaehwan and Wonshik still had trouble with after all their years of friendship). 

Or maybe it was simply their use of playful emojis. Taekwoon was easily amused by such things, simple as they were.

Either way, he chose to ignore everything and for now focused on responding. 

 

**UNKNOWN**

 

_Hey this is Taekwoon_

_sorry I didn't text you back_

_work was a nightmare_

 

Taekwoon fiddled with his phone and nervously munched on his lip, waiting for his screen to light up with a response. He was so out of it, his mind battling between the feelings of guilt and the overall sense of  _what the fuck are you doing_ that he didn't realize that he had just broken the most basic rule of when it came to interacting with strangers. It wasn't until his phone vibrated with a text that Taekwoon spotted his own name that his mind came to a screeching stop. 

 

... _Taekwoon?_

 

"Oh, fuck."

"What?" Jaehwan said behind him, effectively startling Taekwoon.

"Shit... don't do that!" Taekwoon exclaimed, glaring up at Jaehwan, who only met his comment with an amused grin. Taekwoon dropped his hands from their defensive pose and tried to calm his rabbit-like heartbeat.

"Sorry," Jaehwan apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. He sat down on the bench Taekwoon had been sitting on this whole time and turned to face his grumpy hyung.

"I just couldn't help but overhear your muttering all across the room. You **are** aware we have echoing walls, right? Comes with the whole musical voice coach thing and what not."

Taekwoon huffed at Jaehwan's words, aware the other was teasing him. "You know, for someone who has a very loud...  _aura,_ you're suspiciously too good at sneaking up on people." 

Jaehwan laughed before shrugging sheepishly. "Eh, I don't know. Guess it's all part of my mysterious charm, hyung."

Taekwoon rolled his eyes and muttered an unbelieving agreement. 

They sat there for a few moments of silence, the hum of electricity from the overhead lights and the odd creak of their wooden floors disrupting the quiet every once in a while. It seemed like Taekwoon's heartbeat had finally calmed down from the scare. Unfortunately, that seemed to be some type of cue for his mind start up again, the texts floating through his mind like a never-ending carousel ride ready to haunt him for life. 

Sensing his dongsaeng growing discomfort with the silence, Jaehwan shoulder-bumped him. Taekwoon looked up and met a brown pair of concerned eyes. 

"So," Jaehwan began slowly. "Any reason as to why you're being more quiet than normal or..." he trailed off.

Taekwoon sighed, unsure as to where to begin. 

_Do I start with the fact that Minyul accidentally texted a wrong number and when I later went on to respond and apologize, I somehow, along the way, somewhat managed to befriend the person on the other end? Or do I talk about how guilty I felt when I realized I hurt this person's feelings, even though I technically shouldn't because they're a **stranger** I've known for less than 24 hours? Or how about the fact that I stupidly told them my name when lost in such feeling of guilt and now I don't know what the fuck to do? _

Taekwoon took a deep breath. He then began to speak. 

"I think I just realized I may have a crush on this person but I don't know how to feel about it," he lied. 

 _What the fuck! That wasn't the plan!_ Taekwoon's brain screamed.

Silence engulfed them. Jaehwan leaned back and stared at him with big eyes. "... Go on." 

Taekwoon felt his ears and neck warm with a flush. He looked away and chewed on his bottom lip, trying to rake over details he could make up to cover his lie. "Uh, yeah. They make me feel... comfortable?" Taekwoon's voice trailed up into a high-pitch tone, as if unsure of what he was saying.

He very much was.

"I don't know. I've, uh, realized that I don't feel that self-conscious when laughing or smiling around them. Talking to them. So, uh, yeah. I think I like them." Taekwoon finished lamely. Midway through his unconvincing lie, he had begun scratching at the wooden bench with a fingernail, the movement distracting Taekwoon and giving him a reason to not meet what was sure to be Jaehwan's shocked face. 

 _He's never going to believe me_ , Taekwoon chided at himself. It had been years since Taekwoon had last shown interest in someone, let alone been in a relationship. His last girlfriend, whom he had met in a musical, had fallen for his strong stage presence and "intriguing looks". Sadly, it hadn't taken her long to realize that the Taekwoon on stage was a different person from the Taekwoon off stage. Shy, quiet, unexpressive, those had been some examples she had listed off as unlikeable qualities, things she didn't want in a partner. 

Needless to say, that relationship had completely destroyed Taekwoon's self-confidence for a while, long enough that he still sometimes felt the repercussions to this day when it came to interacting with people, though it was admittedly better. 

For Taekwoon to be admitting he liked someone and felt comfortable around them was like saying he liked socializing. It just wasn't believable. 

Feeling guilty for lying to Jaehwan, especially since he and Wonshik had been the only people to help him regain his confidence after that mess of a breakup, Taekwoon opened his mouth to admit to lying but was cut off by a loud squeal. 

"Hyung, that's great! I'm so happy for you!" Jaehwan exclaimed. Taekwoon snapped his head and stared at Jaehwan with disbelief. 

"You... are? 

Apparently, it wasn't that unbelievable then. 

Jaehwan scoffed, offended by the assumption that he otherwise wasn't. "What type of person, what type of  _friend,_ would I be if I didn't support your emotional growth and encourage you to not be afraid of letting yourself be happy  _and_ comfortable with someone you like?" 

After a few seconds of silence, Taekwoon realized Jaehwan wasn't asking a rhetorical question. 

"Uh, a bad one?" 

 "Yes, a _bad one_!" He emphasized. "So, of course, I'm happy for you!" Jaehwan grinned and patted his shoulder fondly.

Taekwoon almost felt bad for lying, seeing how excited his colleague was for him. It was moments like this where he really was fortunate to have someone like Jaehwan in life. A genuine person who loved and cared for his well-being.

But of course, as soon as Taekwoon finished that thought, Jaehwan had to go and ruin the moment.

"So," he dragged out. "Does this person happen to be someone I know? Anyone I probably see every other week or so? Someone who has, oh, I don't know... possibly known you about as long as I have?" Jaehwan hinted at slowly, waggling his eyebrows mischievously. 

Taekwoon frowned, unsure and confused as to what, or who really, Jaehwan was referring too. 

"Uh, no. You don't know him." 

Jaehwan hummed, unconvinced. "If you're sure, hyung," the younger male sang teasingly, eyes twinkling with hidden knowledge. 

Too relieved at having not been caught, Taekwoon pretended to ignore the weird looks Jaehwan kept throwing at him the rest of that day. It wasn't until they finally locked up the studio for the night and were walking out in the lively night streets of Seoul that Jaehwan brought up the topic again. 

"Are you planning on telling them?" 

"Tell who what?" Taekwoon questioned as they waited to cross the street. 

"Tell that person you like them." 

Taekwoon hated how quick his cheeks flushed at the comment, despite the fact his crush was completely made up. He supposed this was one of the rare occasions he would ever be grateful for his ability to get embarrassed at everything. It was making his lie seem more authentic. 

"I'm not," Taekwoon mumbled, raising his cold hands to his cheeks to try and cool them down.

"Hm, why not?" Jaehwan leaned in closer and eyed him curiously. 

Taekwoon noticed the light up ahead signal green and he took advantage of it, walking briskly ahead of Jaehwan. 

"Because." 

Jaehwan easily caught up and fell back into step with him. "Because...?" 

As soon as they reached the other side of the road, Taekwoon stopped and threw Jaehwan an exasperated look. 

"Why are you so interested in my love life? Ugh, I never should have said anything," Taekwoon mumbled the end to himself.  _I should have just spit out the truth. Would have been so much easier to deal with._

"No, wait! Hyung, you know I have your best interests in mind. I just, I don't understand why you wouldn't confess to the person that makes you feel good about yourself," Jaehwan said with a pout.

Taekwoon sighed, observing the cars driving past them. He tightened his hold on his messenger strap before relaxing his grip. He had to remember that Jaehwan was just looking out for him and being a good friend, he only wanted what was best for Taekwoon. He had said so earlier himself. 

"I'm just not ready," Taekwoon said, breaking the quiet between them. Catching Jaehwan looking as if he was going to complain about how lame of an excuse that was, Taekwoon spoke up quickly again. "But! But, I  _promise_ that when I am, I'll allow you to help me with my... confession," Taekwoon trailed off with a small blush. 

Jaehwan's eyes lit up and he sent Taekwoon a huge smile. "Alright, sounds like a plan!" 

Taekwoon responded with a roll of his eyes and a soft smile. 

They shortly bid each other farewell, both of them needing to go the opposite way from each other. The whole train ride back to his neighborhood Taekwoon stared down at his unlocked phone, the still unanswered text with his name staring back at him. 

 

**[x]**

 

A week passed and to Taekwoon's shame, the text remained unanswered from his side. He tried convincing himself he was too busy with the musical and rehearsals but in reality, it was a sad, pathetic excuse. 

It was just a text. He could have responded anytime given time, the text probably would have taken less than a minute to compose and send, but he still hadn't done so. 

The first few days Taekwoon tried to ignore how his own stupidity had led him to this situation but between Jaehwan mentioning his crush every other hour and his inner voice reminding him of his guilt every night before he drifted off into sleep, it was impossible. 

Either way, it seemed like today was going to be no different. 

Although technically his day-off, with the musical less than a month away from opening night, Taekwoon couldn't afford to leisurely sit around. Instead, he decided to go check out a new coffee shop one of Wonshik's friend had recommended to him, while also taking advantage of the quiet atmosphere to concentrate and get work done. 

And so, having bid Wonshik goodbye, Taekwoon set off. Since it was still considered a bit early (it was barely about to be 10), the morning rush of people wasn't as bad as usual, especially considering it was a Friday.

Still, it took him an hour to finally reached the coffee place.

Pulling the door open, a bell chimed above him, signaling his entrance. Instantly, the strong, bitter aroma of coffee grains invaded his senses and soaked his clothes.

"Welcome to the shop!" A light, friendly voice rang out. 

Taekwoon took a deep breath and sighed, satisfied.

As he walked further in and made his way towards the counter, he observed the bright window panels that hugged the place, giving it that open, spacious feel. A multitude of bright red tables and two leather sofa's were scattered to the left of the counter, and Taekwoon noticed a multiple of people in their laptops sitting about. The usual murmur of voices and the soft instrumental music playing in the background followed him as he approached the barista.

"Hello, welcome to the shop!" the tan man repeated once again. "What can I get for you?" 

Taekwoon squinted up at the menu, forcing his poor eyesight to cooperate with him. He really needed some glasses, and soon. 

"I'll have an iced vanilla latte please," Taekwoon spoke softly. The barista startled at hearing Taekwoon's voice but quickly regained his composure with a bright smile. 

"Alright, an iced vanilla latte. What size would you like?"

"Medium." 

The barista, or Hakyeon, according to his nametag, took a medium cup and wrote Taekwoon's order with a black marker. 

"Anything else I can get for you?" Hakyeon looked up and regarded Taekwoon warmly, making him blush at the attention. 

"That's all for now," Taekwoon muttered, looking away in embarrassment. He didn't notice how Hakyeon's eyes twinkled with amusement, seemingly finding the man in front of him adorable. 

"Alright. Well, that will be... $3.20. Can I have a name for the order?" 

Taekwoon slipped out his wallet and handed off his credit card. He ignored the warmth of Hakyeon's fingers and failed to ignore how different they felt in comparison to his own icy ones. 

"For Taekwoon, please." 

Hakyeon, who had been in the process of sliding his card for payment, froze the second Taekwoon spoke. 

"...Taekwoon?"  

**Author's Note:**

> Mwuhahaha, bet y'all weren't expecting that cliffhanger!
> 
> anyway, there you have it! The ball has been thrown and rolled, so to speak, and I sincerely hope I am able to get to writing part two this weekend and publish it in the upcoming weeks. If I pass the two-week mark, please feel free badger me with messages telling me to hurry tf up lol. 
> 
> I wonder if, after having read the story, some of you have realized whom the unrequited love tag is about... hm. 
> 
>  
> 
> also ANNOUNCEMENT: if anyone is interested in being my beta reader, please comment down below!
> 
>  
> 
> As always, any comments and kudos are welcomed and appreciated! x


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